Cooking for a cause: Meals on Wheels' Celebrity Chefs Brunch

To view the article by Rachel Suga from WDEL, click HERE.
To watch the video, click HERE.

Celebrity Chefs’ Brunch filled the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington with incredible smells, bites and music on Sunday. 

For 29 years, Meals on Wheels Delaware has held their Celebrity Chefs' Brunch to raise funds to assist home-bound seniors in the area, but to also highlight Wilmington's food scene. 

Hearth Executive chef, Alex Velez says Celebrity Chefs' Brunch was a change of pace in comparison to his normal shift: being outside of the kitchen. 

In his every day work, Velez prides himself on running a kitchen with fresh ingredients, prepared staff, and efficient workflows, which reflected in the samples of duck confit gyros Platinum Dining Group offered at the brunch/  

Velez says taking part in the brunch was a great opportunity, as Meals on Wheels Delaware is one of the organizations that Platinum Dining Group partners with. 

Nationally and locally, chefs showed off their skills, including the winner of Food Network's Holiday Baking Championship, Season 9, Dru Tevis.

The pastry chef owns brûlé bakery with his husband, Chase, in Dewey Beach. 

The sweet treat that won Tevis the Holiday Baking Championship title was featured at Celebrity Chefs' Brunch: a piece of chocolate cake and banana cake with each passionfruit and hazelnut ganache, garnished with a praline crunch and cream cheese buttercream.  

"For our final challenge, we had to do 'Destination Christmas Cakes,'" Tevis says. "Swiss Alps was my theme, so I wanted to do something that featured chocolate. I love chocolate, banana and hazelnut together but then the passionfruit brings in [an acidic flavor] that lightens it all up."

Celebrity Chefs' Brunch created food with a lasting impact, with some of the country's top chefs serving samples of their most popular brunch items to raise money for a great cause.

"It's an organization that's near and dear to my heart," says Tevis. "Getting invited to be a part of the brunch is an honor."

Live entertainment was provided by Boots and Skirts, along with a silent and basket auction with jewelry, wine and spirit packages, artwork and other prizes. 

“So beyond the amazing food and drinks, what really matters is the impact,” Meals on Wheels Events Director, Regina Dodds says. “Every ticket sold helps Meals on Wheels Delaware support five meal preparation and delivery programs throughout the state, providing nutritious meals and vital social connection to more than 6,000 homebound seniors.”

"Last year, the program served over 960,000 meals to seniors throughout the state," Dodds says. "This Celebrity Chef Brunch is very important to help us to reach our goals, our fundraising goals so that we can contribute to those programs."

To donate to Meals on Wheels Delaware, click here.

Their future events are on their website as well.